Best NASCAR Track (2015)

At one time the home of the F1 US Grand Prix, today Watkins Glen’s biggest race is its annual NASCAR date that sees its two top tier series competing on a double header weekend. The fast lefts and rights of this upstate New York have seen more than a few daring last lap moves and the “bus stop” on the back stretch is a legendary spot for intrepid drivers to make up time.
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NASCAR’s oldest track has hosted races since the late 1940’s, and while the racing surfaces have changed from dirt, to asphalt, to a hybrid patchwork, the paperclip shaped short track, tucked away in southern Virginia, has never failed to be a high point in the NASCAR season. It is also one of the most important and harrowing races in NASCAR’s version of the playoffs: The Chase.
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The wide and fast eighteen degree banks of this two mile track are situated in the Irish Hills of Michigan, just a quick drive from the headquarters of GM and Ford in Detroit and Dearborn respectively. Ford backed teams have historically dominated the track, but in recent years GM and Toyota have edged their way into Ford’s territory and the race is as competitive as ever.
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Arguably the track that invented the concept of bullring style short track racing, Bristol is all about beating and banging to get the upper hand over the field. The formula here is as simple as it is effective. Throw out all the aero R&D, fuel mileage predictions, and careful strategy because this track is all about having the muscle and will power necessary to make the guy in front of you move out of the way.
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The track “Too Tough to Tame” is located deep in rural South Carolina and once a year NASCAR’s elite do battle on the egg-shaped oval’s narrow racing surface. The track evokes just as much admiration as it does hatred from the drivers, and, after a nasty brush with the outside walls, Kyle Petty once famously said of the track “They ought to fill this place up with water and turn it into a bass pond.” The fans however, overruled Petty and the track has sold out several times since.
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Sitting on the Kansas side of Kansas City, this Midwest super speedway is a notoriously finicky track when it comes to how it reacts to weather and even more particular when it comes to fuel consumption. Many races have been won and lost due to crew chiefs’ predictions and one thing is for certain: if they haven’t figured this track out in the fourteen years it’s been open, they probably won’t any time soon.
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The Monster Mile is what is called a “self cleaning track”. The banks are so high, even on the straights, that any wreck or mishap will inevitably wash downwards towards the apron of the track and the ensuing scramble to get out of the way at speeds approaching 180mph can cause massive pile-ups, which is of no small consequence when it hosts the third race of the Chase.
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Dubbed the perfect race track by multitudes of drivers and fans alike, RIR’s 3/4 mile D-shaped configurations has the tight confines of a short track mixed with the multiple grooves and high speeds of a super speedway, and every race is held under the lights so fans can see the sparks fly and the brake rotors glow cherry red. Every show at Richmond is worth the price of admission.
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The biggest, baddest track on the schedule, the 2.66 mile Talladega Super Speedway is synonymous with speed and excitement. Race lap averages routinely hit 200 miles per hour and every driver in the field dreads “The Big One” where one mishap results in a massive wreck that collects a dozen cars or more.
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NASCAR has two homes. One lies on the beach at Daytona, but the other is far inland in the Charlotte area where most NASCAR teams are headquartered. The one and a half mile and very narrow Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts just as many event weekends as Daytona including the longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600, and the biggest payday of the year, the All-Star Race. And, to top it all off, the final event CMS holds is in the middle of the Chase.
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